Aaron Judge's Injury Diagnosis, Return Timeline Revealed for Yankees Star

The New York Yankees announced Thursday that superstar slugger Aaron Judge is set to miss four to six weeks with a stress fracture in his right rib.

Judge hadn't played since Sunday due to the injury and had been dealing with shoulder soreness for weeks before his injury issues worsened, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Wednesday.

It's obviously a massive loss for the Yankees, though the fact that it isn't believed to be a season-ending issue will provide some relief in the Bronx.

"Best hitter in the sport," Boone told reporters Thursday. "And obviously what he means to us. There's a void there. We also have really good players who can pick it up, too."

The three-time MVP and seven-time All-Star was putting together another excellent season before the injury, hitting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBI, 43 runs, five stolen bases and a .907 OPS in 59 games. Given that Judge has posted an OPS above 1.000 in his last four seasons, you could argue he's having something of a down year by his own lofty standards, though he's still tied for fourth across MLB in homers.

The Yankees have gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 season, going 37-25. They are just 0.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, though keeping pace without Judge in the lineup is going to be a tall task.

Still, Ben Rice having a career year (17 homers, 44 RBI, 1.030 OPS) will help, as will eventually getting back the injury-prone Giancarlo Stanton. A solid rotation should help stabilize the Yankees as well.

But there's no replacing Judge. For the first time since 2023, the American League is going to have an MVP not named Judge.